Thailand Community Based Tourism Institute (CBT-I), and Thailand Community Based Tourism Network Coordination Center (CBT-N-CC).Sirinath Garden, Chiang Mai, 16 and 17 July 2012.

Background : During the Community Based Tourism Training Workshop for Senior Product and Operations Managers of Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) Tour Operators, 8-12 June 2012, Chiang Mai, Thailand, many Thai tour operators expressed interest to offer more community based tourism (CBT) to their guests. They provided feedback about their needs from the CBT-N Coordination center, based in Chiang Mai.

This meeting has been organised to follow up and respond to the outcomes of the GMS CBT Workshop, inside Thailand. Members of CBT-N (Thai communities) will discuss their positive and negative experiences marketing CBT through various channels; will consider the role and value of the CBT-N Coordinating Center to help facilitate market access, and will discuss and cooperate with Thai tour operators to adapt CBT-N systems in crucial areas such as booking, coordinating, pricing, and contracting. Roles and responsibilities and codes of conduct for partners will be agreed at the workshop.

The key goal is to identify a mutually acceptable system, and define roles and responsibilities of CBT-N members communities, tour operators and the CBT-N. (Read More)

The tremendous growth in the tourism sector, especially ecotourism centred on visitation and enjoyment of Mae Hong Son’s distinct and precious cultural and natural heritage has presented the province with a number of challenges and opportunities. On the one hand, tourism is generating significant foreign exchange earnings and fuelling local investment in tourism related services and infrastructure and creating jobs. On the other hand, partly because of the uneven capacity to plan for and manage tourism’s negative environmental and socio-cultural impacts, the resources underpinning the national tourism industry are in danger of being irrevocably damaged.

Ecotourism and community-based tourism have been identified as a sustainable alternative to mainstream tourism for the province. The project aims at strengthening these sectors in a holistic manner. It is implemented by the Thailand Community Based Tourism Institute in close collaboration with UNDP and FAO. (Read More)